Medical Pioneer. Carlos Juan Finlay was a Cuban epidemiologist, who is recognized as a pioneer in the research of Yellow Fever. Born as Juan Carlos Finlay, he changed his name years later. He was born in the Carnaguey Province, which was known as Puerto Principe at the time of his birth. In 1853 he attended Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1855. He completed his studies in Havana, Cuba and Paris, France. Eventually, he settled in Havana, opening his own medical practice. Finley became famous for his initial research of the cause of the Yellow Fever Epidemic that killed thousands in that era. In 1865 he sent a paper to the Academy of Sciences in Havana outlining his theories. He was the first to theorize in 1881 that a certain kind of mosquito was the carrier, yet his research would not be taken seriously for decades. Another Cuban physician, Dr. Juan Guiteras, is credited with his Yellow Fever research. With the United States military in Cuba during the Spanish-American War of 1898, many soldiers were dying from Yellow Fever. Fewer than 400 American soldiers were actually killed in combat during the war, yet more than 2,000 contracted Yellow Fever during the campaign with at least 1,661 dying. His research was brought to the attention of Dr. Walter Reed of the United States Army's Medical Corps, who expanded Finlay's research after coming to Cuba. In Havana sits a monument in his honor, named the El Obelisco. He also was honored in Cuba by a 1981 Cuban postage stamp with his image. Although Reed was initially credited with the cure of Yellow Fever, he was credited for the discovery years posthumously. Finley became the Chief Health Officer of Cuba from 1902 till his retirement in 1909. His busts and statues are located throughout Cuba; artifacts from his career are in a museum in Havana and his home was made a historic landmark.